Moira Deeming disendorsed as Victorian Liberal party candidate for upcoming state election
Moira Deeming Loses Liberal Party Endorsement Ahead of Victorian State Election
Legal Challenge Dropped as Party Executive Votes to Remove MP
Moira Deeming disendorsed as Victorian Liberal - Victorian Liberal Member of Parliament Moira Deeming has officially been disendorsed from her candidacy for the forthcoming state election, a decision reached even after she withdrew her last-minute legal proceedings against her own political organization. During a special gathering convened for Friday afternoon, party members cast their votes to strip the elected representative of her position as a candidate for the November ballot. According to an official declaration released following the vote, the state executive made the determination to cancel Deeming's endorsement for the premier spot in the Western Metropolitan region. The organization expressed gratitude for her contributions to the Liberal Party over the years and indicated that they view the situation as settled. Party leadership stated their intention to move forward with presenting their vision for Victoria's renewal in the period leading up to the election.
This outcome places Deeming's political trajectory at significant risk. Although she continues to occupy a seat within the opposition party room, she faces the prospect of losing her parliamentary position following the November election unless she chooses to contest as an independent candidate. Media representatives from Guardian Australia have reached out to Deeming seeking her comments on the development.
The Headlock Incident and Its Aftermath
On Wednesday, Deeming publicly announced that she had pulled back her supreme court challenge directed at party president Brian Loughnane. This legal action had originally been initiated to prevent the party from taking disciplinary measures against her following a controversial encounter in May. Deeming, who represents the Western Metropolitan Region in the upper house, had previously alleged that fellow Liberal MP Matthew Guy had seized her in a violent headlock. However, she subsequently clarified that she had misinterpreted the nature of the grip.
"The state executive, having all the evidence before them, can now decide whether to pursue mediation or reconvene to disendorse me," she said in her statement.
Video surveillance captured during a May function revealed Guy positioning his hand on Deeming's upper back while the two leaned toward each other during conversation. Law enforcement authorities examined the reported incident and ultimately determined that no criminal offense had occurred. In June, Guy informed journalists that Deeming owed him a formal public apology, while firmly rejecting any suggestion that inappropriate behavior had taken place.
"Moira Deeming owes me a public apology. I'm owed an apology by the premier and the attorney-general," he declared in a statement delivered outside parliament buildings.
Mediation Proposal and Recovery Period
Deeming transmitted a comprehensive twelve-page document to the party's state executive on Wednesday, presenting a mediation framework that would enable her to conclude her supreme court proceedings. She explained that the injunction had provided valuable time for recovery and reflection during a challenging period.
"Having been overseas and unwell when the story broke and jetlagged and unwell when the disendorsement meeting was called, the injunction gave me time to recover, review all the facts, learn the difference between a headlock and a collar-tie grip, and gather my thoughts," Deeming explained.
Her attempt to halt the party's disendorsement vote occurred during a one-day supreme court trial held the previous Friday, though the legal proceedings were formally withdrawn earlier in the week. Prior to this latest development, Deeming had been removed from the number one position in March by Dinesh Gourisetty, only for Gourisetty to subsequently lose his own candidacy.
A History of Political Controversy
The forty-three-year-old politician has experienced considerable turbulence throughout her first term in Victorian state parliament since her election in 2022. She was expelled from the party room in 2023 after attending a rally that was disrupted by neo-Nazi demonstrators. Following this incident, Deeming successfully pursued a defamation lawsuit against former Liberal leader John Pesutto, who had incorrectly suggested she maintained connections with neo-Nazis. Her party membership was restored in December 2024, following Pesutto's replacement as leader by Brad Battin.